Preposition: in

• midfield: They again looked strong at the back, combative in midfield and pacy up front.

Modifies a noun

• midfielder: The archetypal combative midfielder made a welcome return to Elland Road in December 1998.

• mood: Whatever the outcome, the council workers are still in a very combative mood.

• sport: Dari Taylor thinks that ' politics has become a combative sport, like going back to the Roman arena ' .

• style: Now 27, his combative style has become crucial to Leeds United's title challenge.

• approach: Certainly, some smaller firms would welcome a more combative approach.

• nature: This is because, ' men's backgrounds in competitive and aggressive sports give them a more combative nature than women ' .

Modifying Another Word

• very: You can be very combative, or get involved with people who are.

• typically: He is spending his final days in typically combative style.

• somewhat: You tend to be quite competitive and can even be somewhat combative.

• rather: I have been unable to establish the name of its ( rather combative ) writer.

• highly: But its wealth historically came from the mines, and this led to the emergence of a tight-knit, highly combative working class.

• naturally: This increased speculation that the naturally combative former Liberal leader was determined to fight for his political career.

Used with adjective complement

• become: The police and soldiers arrived and the conflict became combative, then violent.

• say: Speak to most accountants and they would say it is a battle of wits, not to say combative.

• get: When Levin didn't buy that, Rubin " got extremely combative, " he said.